Boyfriend of slain reality TV star sentenced to 16 years to life
The boyfriend of Los Angeles police officer-turned-reality-TV attorney Loredana Nesci was sentenced Sept. 19 to 16 years to life in prison for her murder, Los Angeles County prosecutors said.
Nesci, the star of SundanceTV’s “Loredana, Esq.,” was killed in 2015 inside the Redondo Beach home she shared with Robert Reagan, 53. She was 47.
“The news of her death destroyed our life, and we will never be the same,” her father, John Nesci, said in a statement read during Reagan’s sentencing in Torrance Superior Court. “All of a sudden, in the dark of the night, everything was stolen from her and from all of us.”
Nesci was an avid body builder whose show followed her life as a tough, hardworking attorney in the Riviera Village. Her young son, Rocco, was featured in several episodes.
A statement written for the sentencing by Robert Nesci, the victim’s brother, described a troubled relationship between the couple — one …
Man who killed Fox executive having an affair with his wife gets 11 years in prison
Evan Smith’s voice got louder then turned to a hiss. He clenched his jaw and glared at the man in handcuffs — a convicted drug dealer who beat his father to death and buried him in a shallow grave.
“Give this man the maximum today for savagely ripping my dad out of my life,” Smith told a judge in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. The judge gave a small nod, and a family friend in the audience mouthed, “Amen.” The defendant, John Lenzie Creech, stared ahead, expressionless.
The powerful plea came Sept. 19 during a hearing in which Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus sentenced Creech to 11 years in prison for his role in the 2012 slaying of Smith’s father, Gavin, a 20th Century Fox executive whose decomposed body was found in the desert more than two years after he disappeared.
Before handing down the maximum …
Robert Malone, 55
Robert Malone, a 55-year-old black man, was shot and killed Tuesday, Sept. 19, in 1300 block of West 71st Street in Vermont-Slauson, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 4 p.m., Malone was sitting alone inside a 2004 Buick Regal when a white sedan pulled up, said Los Angeles Police Det. Chris Barling.
A person got out of the sedan and shot Malone multiple times, Barling said.
Malone was pronounced dead at the scene at 4:19 p.m., according to coroner’s records.
The sedan was last seen going west on West 70th Street from Raymond Avenue, police said. Police are still trying to determine a motive.
Anyone with information is asked to call South Bureau homicide at (323) 786-5113. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Tafari Erroll Pipersburg, 37
Tafari Erroll Pipersburg, a 37-year-old black man, was shot and killed Tuesday, Sept. 19, near 12010 S. Vermont Ave. in Harbor Gateway, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 7:55 p.m., Pipersburg was riding his bike east on West 120th Street when a he was hit by a stray bullet, said Los Angeles Police Det. Nathan Kouri.
A person nearby was shooting at a propane tank, Kouri said, and one of the bullets hit Pipersburg.
The suspect, identified as Perry Charles Townsend, a 27-year-old black man, was charged Sept. 26 with one count of murder, according to court records.
Townsend has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court Nov. 20, according to court records.
Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at (323) 786-5111. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and @latimeshomicide on …
Man sentenced for shooting ex-girlfriend to death in Pacoima
A man was sentenced Sept. 11 to 113 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend in the head at a Pacoima residence, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
On June 20, Michael Jerome Parks, 48, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of G’Teasha Elayne Fisher, 33. The special allegation was also found true that Park used a knife and handgun to commit the crime.
On Sept. 7, 2016, Parks strangled, stabbed, then fatally shot Fisher after convincing her to meet at his uncle’s home in Pacoima, prosecutors said. Parks then fled and was arrested the next day in Las Vegas.
Parks has convictions dating back to 1985, including for robbery, possession of cocaine for sale, and assault with a firearm.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.
Man sentenced for murder of victim found in plastic storage container
A man was sentenced Sept. 13 to 16 years to life in state prison for fatally stabbing an acquaintance whose body was found in a plastic storage box, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
On Aug. 8, a jury found Kenneth Mullen Watkins, 29, guilty of one count of second-degree murder for killing Terry Nigale Benjamin, 52. The special allegation was also found true that he used a knife to commit the crime.
On Jan. 12, 2016, Benjamin’s sister reported him missing. Days before, residents at Benjamin’s apartment complex complained of a foul smell, according to prosecutors.
The apartment building owner entered Benjamin's unit on Jan. 23, 2016, and discovered his body stuffed into a 45-gallon storage container, prosecutors added.
According to evidence presented at trial, Watkins stabbed Benjamin several times on Jan. 4, 2016. He then cleaned up the crime scene, bagged the evidence and piled …
Long Beach man sentenced to prison for killing young stepdaughter
A Long Beach man who slashed his 9-year-old stepdaughter’s neck in what prosecutors said was an attempt to cover up months of sexual abuse was sentenced September 11 to 41 years to life in state prison, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Jacinto Trujillo, 37, pleaded no contest to first-degree murder and oral copulation with a child under 10 years old. He was ordered to register as a lifetime sex offender.
On the evening of April 27, 2012, Trujillo was walking with the girl in Long Beach when he pulled out a razor blade and cut her neck, prosecutors said. He left her, bleeding, in a nearby church parking lot.
The following morning, a witness found the girl's body in the parking lot of the Los Altos United Methodist Church, prosecutors said. A short distance away, officials said, Trujillo was bleeding from self-inflicted stab wounds.
At the …
Gonzalo G. Garcia, 40
Gonzalo G. Garcia, a 40-year-old Latino male, died Monday, Sept. 18, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Bellflower, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Andre Bryant, 22
Miguel Cabrera, 19
Miguel Cabrera, a 19-year-old Latino, was shot and killed Sunday, Sept. 17, in the 4100 block of Floral Drive in East Los Angeles, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
Cabrera was at a family party around 2 a.m. when he and his father, who were standing in front of the residence, got into an argument with at least two other Latino adults, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Mendoza said.
The argument became physical, and one of the other Latinos pulled a gun and fired, striking both father and son. The suspects then got into a vehicle and fled west on Floral Drive.
Cabrera and his father were taken to a hospital, where Cabrera was pronounced dead at 2:53 a.m., according to coroner’s records.
His father is expected to survive his injuries, Mendoza said.
Authorities don’t know what started the argument but said lots of people were out early that morning …
Reginald Harrison McLendon, 52
Reginald Harrison Mclendon, a 52-year-old black man, was shot and killed Sunday, Sept. 17, in the 9100 block of South Harvard Boulevard in Gramercy Park, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 1:15 a.m., Mclendon and a 60-year-old relative were standing outside a home saying goodbye to people who had gathered there for a birthday party, Los Angeles Police Det. Chris Barling said.
Two black men walked up and fired multiple rounds at the men, Barling said.
The men then ran to a vehicle, possibly a dark SUV, which fled west on West 92nd Street, Barling said.
Mclendon was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:16 a.m., according to coroner’s records. The other man was wounded but is expected to survive, police said.
Neither Mclendon nor the other man who was shot was a documented gang member, Barling said.
Anyone with information is asked to …
Eric Alvarez, 40
Eric Alvarez, a 40-year-old Latino male, died Sunday, Sept. 17, after being shot by law enforcement near N/B 5 Freeway N/O Mission Road on-ramp in Lincoln Heights, according to Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's records.
Nacrissa L. Ulmer, 38
Nacrissa L. Ulmer, a 38-year-old black female, died Sunday, Sept. 17, after sustaining blunt force trauma in Hawthorne, according to Los Angeles County coroner's records.
Juan Carlos Luna, 21
Juan Carlos Luna, a 21-year-old Latino, was fatally stabbed Saturday, Sept. 16, in the 1800 block of West Court Street in Westlake, according to Los Angeles County coroner’s records.
About 8 a.m., a pedestrian found Luna unresponsive on the sidewalk, Los Angeles Police Det. Ray Martinez said.
Luna was pronounced dead at 8:07 a.m. at the scene, according to coroner’s records.
It’s unknown why Luna was in the area because he did not live nearby, Martinez said. Police think that he was alone when he was stabbed and that the attack happened between 2 and 8 a.m.
Luna was not a documented gang member and police are continuing to investigate a motive for the stabbing, Martinez said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Rampart Division detectives at (323) 484-3650. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.
Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @nicolesantacruz and …